Pittsburgh Makeup Artist

With having been in the industry for over 20 years, there are definitely some tips {commandments} I feel I’m able to offer just through trial and error. I do a lot of Makeup Artist classes/workshops, where we definitely hone-in to perfecting actual makeup skills and techniques, but there are also other very important {maybe even more important} things to keep in mind. Whether you are just getting into this industry or have been in it for several years, please let me know of any other tips you personally feel are so important to our amazing field!

{1} Knowledge is power. This pretty much says it all. Never stop learning! That is what is pretty awesome about our field, there are always new things to learn. New products, new techniques, trends, etc. Quite often I have people come to me right after beauty school and want more makeup training. I can’t stress enough, the more people you work on the more your confidence will grow and you’ll be able to sharpen your skill. Practice, practice, practice and if you’re even a seasoned veteran of the field – still practice, there is always something to perfect.

{2} Appreciate the Journey. This is most important for people at the beginning of their career. Don’t look at someone who has 10-15 years of experience on you and think you should be where they are. We truly live in a “I want it now” world. Appreciate the people and artists who have helped you along the way and never take that for granted. It’s always important to have those mentors in your life for advice, recommendations, job references and on-going inspiration. I love the quote — “Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.” YES!

{3} Build a Strong Network of Support. This almost goes along with the paragraph above. It’s important to have other Artists you can count on. There will always be jobs and opportunities coming in. Why not pass the work to someone you trust and they will in turn do the same. Work together because no one gets anywhere in life by themselves. I often reach out to people for not only passing along work but just asking their advice on something. I love that I’m not in this alone.

{4} Grow Your Brand in a Professional Way. Oh the internet. It’s an awesome tool. But realize what you put into the world online stays there forever. Don’t ever bash clients, ummm…they are most likely reading it or will find it because it’s the internet! It’s great to use Instagram/Facebook and whatever else as a branding tool, but keep it classy peeps. Your feed is a mini portfolio and a look into how you carry yourself on a job. You can better believe clients will look at this before hiring you in a lot of cases.

{5} Cleanliness is Next to Godliness. Your kit should be ever-changing, constantly growing/evolving and always clean and pristine. Sometimes I feel that I clean my kit and brushes more than I actually use them. It’s constant but a crucial part of the job. Client’s can SEE what you have going on in there. Speaking of which, I need to do this again today.

{6} Be More Than Prepared. Just when you think you’ve packed everything you need, do a triple check and bring things you don’t think you need! Don’t ever take for granted that a job is cut and dry. Things always pop up on set and during shoots where you’ll be asked for something you may didn’t plan on bringing. Bring everything, seriously.

{7} Always BE ON TIME. Actually, I can’t stress this enough. It’s a matter of you not getting a job or gig again if your late. No one wants to wait around for you getting there to set up your kit. If a call time is 8:00 am, be there even a little early if possible. With having to carry a billion and one things, we need the extra time to get situated. If you rush into a job and the talent or client is sitting there waiting it starts off the day rushed.

{8} Give Back. We as Artists have a true talent and get to make people feel beautiful…that is super rewarding. Find something in your community that allows you to give this talent back to others. There are many organizations looking for licensed professionals to volunteer. Just a couple I am familiar with are Flashes of Hope and Look Good Feel Better. But if you don’t choose one of these, create something of your own — it just makes you feel really good to do something beautiful for others.

{9} Integrity is Key. Hopefully this goes without saying but just be nice and don’t under-cut rates, bash people or tear each other down. If you’re doing what you need to be doing, that is enough. Don’t worry about what this one over here is doing, what he/she is doing, etc. It’s crazy to me when I hear about someone using another Artists picture as their own online or even worse conning brides out of deposits, money etc. Yikes. Don’t do that. And just respect others in the field and others in general — again, hopefully going without saying?

{10} Makeup is a Small Fraction of it. You’re amazing at makeup, great. But a person once said to me that my job was 50% skill, 50% personality. This always stuck with me. You can be really spectacular at what you do — but no one will want to hire you if you walk in like a diva or that you know it all. Know your place on set and when to give your two cents or advice on something non-makeup related. Your a little package deal, your professionalism is a part of what they are hiring. No one wants to work with a cranky, know-it-allMakeup Artist.

With that being said, I definitely do not know it all. If you have any little tips to add, like I said, please let me know. I’m curious and thanks for reading =)

This wedding is near and dear to my heart, since it was my niece Kayla’s and her now hubby, Johnny. What a beautiful October day it was for a wedding! I was so happy to be a part of this very special day for this gorgeous couple I’ve known for so long. We arrived at Kayla’s parent’s home on the morning of October 20th to get her girls and bride all ready. It was a little dream team of vendors since Brooke Rockwell did Kayla’s hair {still in awe of how beautiful it looked!} and Wild Native Photo who did a fantastic job on the photos. Here are some of my favorites, although it was really hard to narrow them down! Wishing Kayla and Johnny a lifetime of happiness ❤

Airbrushing or traditional? This is a question I get asked from almost every bride and it’s definitely a great question to ask! I thought I’d do a little blog about it. This is something that every makeup artist you ask may have a different opinion on…which one is better? I talk a lot to my fellow makeup artist friends and we all seem to have a different theory on it. This is my personal opinion which does come from doing countless faces over the years but mostly just personal preference. I truly love both and there are pros and cons to each I believe. I feel either way, it’s always best and just smart to hire an experienced artist who will be able to work with you and clearly explain the benefits of both and know which one is right for you!

Airbrushing — there isn’t much NOT to love. This makeup is typically thinner than traditional makeup so it can be easily compressed thru an airbrushing gun to evenly apply a fine mist of makeup. Since airbrush makeup comes out “pixelated” its a popular choice for anyone being photographed, on TV, and definitely a great choice for brides. When done properly the client won’t even feel like they have any makeup on. This being said, I’ve had several new clients through the years who didn’t want for me to do airbrushing because of a bad experience they may have had with it in the past. This can happen when an artist is heavy handed with this technique. With airbrushing, it’s so important to know when to stop because you never want to actually “see” the makeup on the skin. This is something said to me by an educator when I was first learning and it has always stuck with me. It should just look like a truly flawless and even application with no beginning or end. The benefits? There are many. The airbrushing formula of choice here at the studio is Temptu Professional S/B. It’s a silicone based formula that is water resistant, sweat/tear proof and lasts up to 12 hours. With airbrushing the sweat or tears will “bead off” the skin and not take down all the makeup with it. So the makeup formula itself is different as well as the actual makeup application.

Traditional— this makeup refers to a traditional makeup application with tools like brushes and sponges {like my beauty blender above!} and definitely has benefits to it as well. At the studio it’s important for us to also use the best hi-def makeup, such as Makeup Forever and Graftobian which are both very comparable and long-wearing formulas. We only stock our kits with high-end formulas right for every situation. An experienced artist using traditional makeup will be able to achieve the same effect as airbrushing, hands down. For me personally with certain textures of skin, I do like to apply traditional makeup to fill in all of those nooks and crannies. With airbrushing, the makeup does lay on the skin so using tools can fill in all those gaps. It’s really about what particular application will work best for each person and their skin.

Now what? —A lot of times, and I mean a lot — I like to do a little of both applications when its needed. My end goal is to have you flawless. I always really look at my client’s skin and texture and consult with them before I start anything. It’s never really cut and dry for me and every client’s skin is so different. I personally never say one is better because I never feel that is the case. When it comes down to it for me, the biggest difference with each option is application itself. That’s just me but I’d love to hear your opinion on this — really, tell me!

This blog post is way overdue, especially because when I think of some of my all time favorite weddings ever — this one is right up there for sure! I first met this stunning beauty at another wedding, her lovely friend Ciara’s big day. I had the chance to do Kristen’s makeup that day as a bridesmaid, then she shortly booked me for her own wedding day! Not only was I excited to work with her again, but she had along a stellar group of wedding vendors, truly the best. It is a dream come true and so inspiring when you get to work with such a talented group of people.

We all met early on the morning of May 28th at the beautiful Artisan Colour Spa Salon in Murrysville….hey I used to work here! She had a big group of girls so I brought a couple of the best with me, Bri Marusco, who I can always trust to do a phenomenal job and also my assistant Kristin to help as well. Artisan did an amazing job with hair, as they always do…and we really had the best time getting everyone beautiful for the big day! Not the mention the weather was picture perfect.

Here are some of my favorite photos — oh, and just a shout out to two of my favorite Photographers who I adore working with — Aly & Derrick of Studio Bash. I know the photos are always going to be unreal when they are behind the camera. Hope you enjoy these as much as I do and thanks for stopping by =)

My girl Bri doing her thing ❤

I love a good picture of a picture ❤

They are so perfect!

Had to definitely show this cake. I forgot to mention her family owns Oakmont Bakery so I knew this cake was going to be amazing!

Thanks so much Kristen & Billy for having me be a part of your day! I truly will always remember how sweet your family and friends were to me ❤

With wedding season winding down, I’m finally getting the chance to collect some photos from summer brides — and wanted to share this beautiful girl and her hubby, Shawn! I absolutely loved Kelli’s look…you can never go wrong with clean, simple, beautiful makeup! I arrived at Kelli’s mom’s house early on August 12th to get started with the bride, mom of the bride and a couple of her lovely bridesmaids. I wasn’t surprised to see how beautiful the wedding photos turned out by the super talented Alisa Innocenti {Weddings by Alisa}. Kelli looked absolutely timeless and stunning. Also just a shout out to Christy from Simply Captivating Hair. I’ve never seen something from her that wasn’t amazing! Thanks again Kelli and Shawn for having me be a part of your wedding day ❤

I was so thrilled to be a part of this gorgeous couple’s wedding day on April 14th of this year. It was a picture perfect day at Lingrow Farm, one of my very places to go. I got to also work with one of my favorite photographers, Amanda Wilson, along with her partner in crime, Ashley. I absolutely loved Katie’s vision for her makeup — she wanted her pretty green eyes to pop…and I think we definitely achieved that! She was a truly a vision. Thanks again for having me be just a small part of your day…I loved every minute of it! ❤

I’m so excited to be featuring this awesome couple on my blog today! I met Madison a few years ago at a shoot I was doing at American Eagle and got to know her pretty well over the course of the next couple years before she moved. I was so thrilled when she asked me to do her makeup in Philidelphia for her wedding day and of course, said yes! The happy couple was married on October 1st at the beautiful Union League and it couldn’t of been more perfect. It’s not often I get to do the bride’s makeup then go to the wedding =). Madison looked absolutely stunning and SO so happy. I’m just honored that I got to be a small part in this very big day among her & Brandon’s family and friends. Here are a few of my favorite pictures and I truly enjoyed looking thru all {700} of them!